Mauritania
Religious (Islamic) law is a leading source
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Mauritania is an Islamic republic whose law combines Islamic law with French-style codes. Its Constitution of 1991 names Islam as the religion of the people and the state, and family law is based on Islamic law.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1991, as amended, the highest law
- Islamic law (Sharia, mainly the Maliki school), especially for family matters and as a source of law
- Codes and statutes in the French tradition, including the Personal Status Code of 2001
- Decisions of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council
The main courts
- The Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council
- Courts of appeal
- Regional courts (wilaya courts) and local courts (moughataa courts)
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree, often from a Mauritanian or French university, and registration with the Bar.
What may surprise you
- Islamic judges (qadis) and French-style judges share the same court system.
- It uses both Arabic and French in legal work.
- Business law has been modernised on French models.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Mauritania as: Muslim, Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Mauritania, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
